There is a verse in the Quran regarding the Hudaibiya Treaty (628 A.D) in the chapter entitled ‘Victory’ which reads as follows: “…so that He may make it a sign to true believers and guide you along a straight path.” (THE QURAN 48:20) The ‘straight path’ referred to in this verse is different from the ‘straight path’ referred to in the first chapter of the Quran, ‘The Opening’.

In the first chapter of the Quran, the ‘straight path’ of guidance is the ‘straight path’ of individual and personal life. And, the ‘straight path’ referred to in the chapter ‘Victory’ is the path of peace and harmony. In other words, it is the ‘straight path’ of social living.

According to the Quran, the entire Universe is functioning under a set of laws established by God and does not deviate from these laws even one little bit. “The sun does not overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day; each floats in [its own] orbit.” (THE QURAN 36:40). As the Universe is under the stringent and compulsive laws of God, it can only exhibit a predictable nature. On the other hand, God has bestowed man with a free will, the misuse of which results in violence and conflict in the human world. In order to control this violence and conflict of the human world, the Quran gives guidance referred to as the ‘straight path’.

The culture of revenge results in a chain of wars.

The Quran was revealed in the first half of the seventh century in Arabia. At that time, there were many tribes in Arabia who were in constant conflict with one another. Tribal warfare was common. The nature of these wars was such that the vanquished tribes would refuse to accept defeat, instead an incentive for revenge would emerge leading to further warfare. In this manner after every victory, there would be a series of revenge wars. Because of this culture of seeking revenge, the Arab tribes were constantly engaged in a chain of wars. This chain of wars is referred to in the Quran as an ‘abyss of fire.’ ‘….He rescued you from the brink of an abyss of Fire.’ (THE QURAN 3:103)

One example of this from the life of Prophet Muhammad was the Battle of Uhud. In this battle, Abu Sufyan, was the leader of the Quraish against the Prophet and his companions. After their victory in the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan proclaimed that, ‘today was the day of revenge for the defeat at Badr.’

The Prophet was sent with the mission to convey God’s creation plan to mankind and to invite man towards God. The culture of tribal warfare was a huge obstacle in his path. Consequently, we see that immediately after this battle the Prophet changed his policy. In the following 'battle' of Ahzab, the Prophet setup a trench to act as a buffer between themselves and their opponents because of which the need for violence itself was nullified. In a similar manner, the Prophet after unilaterally accepting all the conditions of his opponents made the peace agreement known as the Treaty of Hudaibiya. This peace agreement is referred to in the Quran as the ‘…straight path.’ (THE QURAN 48:2). This accord in reality was the ‘straight path’ of social living.

The method of deliverance and relief from war as given by the Quran is to unilaterally accede and put an end to all violence.

In social life there will always be different points of view and disagreements between opposing parties. In these situations, success cannot be achieved on a bilateral basis. It is mandatory that one party wins and the other loses and it is always the case that the losing party refuses to accept defeat. This is the same situation on the battlefield as well. The vanquished refuse to concede victory and instead begin to plan for revenge. That is why conflict, discord and wars can only be resolved or terminated unilaterally.

In order to achieve one's purpose, the Prophet of Islam was the first person to introduce this approach to the Arab people. The entire world was unaware of such a strategy in the matter of resolving conflicts. The Arabs of those times thought that war could only be put to an end by war. For the first time in history, the Prophet of Islam demonstrated that a unilateral accord was the only successful method to conclude a war and usher in peace and harmony amongst the people.

In this manner, through the Prophet of Islam, God saved the people of Arabia from the ‘abyss of fire’ or the chain of wars.

Even today, when the media brings us news of fighting and war; these are in reality wars of revenge. One modern day example of these chain revenge wars is the Israel-Arab conflict in Palestine that has been ensuing for decades. A recent news report from this conflict is as follows:

'Twelve year old Abdul Rahman Al-Batish hasn’t stopped crying since he lost his father in the bombing of an apartment (in Gaza). “They are killers, and one day I will avenge my father.”‘lTV’s Middle-East correspondent reports him as saying.

In reality, todays Muslims are facing the same situation as the tribal Arabs of the days of ignorance before the Prophet of Islam. Muslims are showing the same culture of revenge standing on the brink of the ‘abyss of fire’, referred to in the Quran. The method of deliverance and relief from never ending cycle, given by the Quran is to unilaterally accede and put an end to all violence and terror. After this, you will find that the opponents will also stop all violence and peace will prevail.

The Treaty of Hudaibiya is an example of the ‘straight path’ of social living.

To bring wars to an end, and establish peace and harmony, this was the only method before and the only successful method that can be used in the present. And this is the method referred to in the Quran as the straight path (God’s path) of social living.